Question

Mrs. Williams is a 68 year-old wife and mother who has diabetes, hypertension and is suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Her 70 year-old husband, a retired pastry chef, is her main caregiver. She has gradually lost weight, often refuses to eat and requires a great deal of assistance to move from bed to chair. Mr. Williams does have the assistance of his daughter, but she has a family with school age children who require her time as well. The physician has suggested that a feeding tube would be a consideration at this time. Mr. Williams is anxious and uncertain as to what to do.

1. If she didn't have Alzheimer's, could Mrs. Williams be experiencing a form of dementia or delirium? Please describe the difference between the two.

2. What additional data would you focus on obtaining when you are assigned this patient?

3. What legal and ethical issues do you need to consider in this situation and how would you be an advocate for the couple?

4. You're realizing a multi-discipline conference is necessary. Which disciplines would you invite to attend?

Answer 1

1. No, if she doesn't had Alzheimer's disease she won't have been experiencing dementia or delirium.. The difference between dementia and delirium :-

Dementia is the decline in the memory or overall thinking ability severe enough to reduce a person's ability to do his daily activities.

Delirium is disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of surroundings.

2. Additional data that will be obtained is about the other co-morbid diseases and what are the medicines which are taken for that because some medications increases the central nervous system depression and causes dementia or delirium.

3. As both of the couple's are elderly and has many disease condition mainly dementia kind of disease etc other people's may take advantage of this by making them fool . Here the main role a nurse can act for them is to be an advocate. Advocate to maintain their privacy , confidentiality , and preventing them from being exploited.